Heartstrings
by lovelytunes
Summary: A/U: She thought it could well be just another Christmas to spend as it has always been, but it was going to be different...
1. Chapter 1: Destined

"Hey, you two! Please, don't get mixed up with the tables again, more customers are waiting impatiently for their free drinks, okay?" The young energetic owner of a modest corner cafe urged her only workers both to work efficiently as well as speedily in face of more people thronging into the place. So much for a nice beginning on this festive occasion, the promotion offer she ingenuously thought up was working well beyond expectations.

"Yes, boss!" The pair responded aloud and rushed about picking up drinks from the bar counter and distributed them like busy bees, even nearly knocking into each other at a few instances.

Watching from her seat by the window, Gui Gui smiled at such active and easy-going youngsters, delighting her experience of the season. She sipped on her cup of hot macchiato topped with soft chewy marshmallows, warming her heart, "Throbbing Reflections Cafe...really nice setting...even though it's Christmas all by myself..."

Pulling the door to enter inside, he was surprised by the chalkboard written 'Free Christmas Drink All Day Giveaway!' Smilingly, he deemed it timely and checked his watch before looking all around the crowded cafe, "Phew, not too late either...still another half hour to go before midnight..."

Scanning for a possible seat available, one customer got up from a next-to-window seat, grabbed his tray of leftover sandwich and left to pay the cashier who was none other than the confidently beaming youthful lady owner.

Aaron headed over to take that seat in all enthusiasm...

Gui Gui nodded lightly to express friendly mannerism while moving her drink closer to allow him more space.

"Thanks, Miss," he said in appreciation of her thoughtfulness.

"Sir, you have a choice of free hot beverage on this cold winter night, regardless of whether you are purchasing any food item...Please pick one from this list..." The guy waiter approached and inquired of him.

"Oh, I see...wonderful," he remarked and ran his finger down the long menu of flowery names of each drink. In the end, he decided, "I still prefer marshmallow macchiato..."

Right opposite him, Gui Gui composedly tried to suppress a smile...

He then hesitated briefly before requesting a little further, "If you don't mind, I prefer mine slightly cold, along with a bit of caramel...?"

"Coming right up!" The jolly waiter chanted.

While waiting, he was captivated by the snowy scene outside the window and marvelled, to which Gui Gui bemusedly observed and was tempted to follow his gaze as a result.

"Oh dear," he uttered distractingly to himself, but nevertheless within her earshot, after a while of quiet fascination, wondering if he has exceeded the time limit of his street car parking. He stood up immediately and squirming his way from amongst the overwhelming crowd of the cafe, he hurried to exit the cafe.

Gui Gui was puzzled by his abrupt haste, and the other girl server also came with his cup of macchiato all ready since it was not needed to be steaming hot, asking her if she had ordered another one.

"Well, I...," she stammered. Glancing out of the window, she happened to notice sharply from one side a little small bag of gift left by him on the chair across from her.

She gave a quick thought and too rose from her seat, taking his thing and the drink from the waitress on behalf, mouthed a fast thanks and marched out of the cafe.

Once in the open under the drifting, glistening snow, Gui Gui sought earnestly for a sight of him...Somehow, gripping tightly onto the things in her hands, she sensed an enthralling connection with this night's unanticipated novelty tugging onto her impetuous sentiments, an unwavering throbbing of her heart...which she certainly has never encountered before...


	2. Chapter 2: To Wait

Searching earnestly for the sight of him in the lateness of the snowy night, Gui Gui felt helpless pacing about outside the cafe with both hands full of stuff not her own. She looked down at them and pursed her lips in consideration of her senseless impulse.

"Silly me, what am I doing? It's gonna be Christmas in less than half an hour..." Touching bell music of her favourite carol resounded from a clock tower few blocks away. Her pair of thin eyebrows creased in disappointment of her own absurdness. The question of why she would go to this much extreme for person who, out of sheer coincidence, happened to share the same table with her for barely more than a minute now bothered repeatedly in her mind. She knew nothing about him in the least anyway. So much for exaggerated sensitivity fueling her overt reaction.

Stepping back under the shelter of the roof, she's had enough of her fruitless attempt. Turning about and sighing quietly, she decided to go back into the shop to hand over his things to the cafe staff.

"Aahhh...No!" A little child cried out loud as he came up by the sidewalk not far off behind her.

Gui Gui was sharp enough to have heard of a sudden mushy splatter within a split second ago that was followed immediately by the boy's miserable, yet deafening wail.

She spun around only to see that a noticeably super-sized hot dog had been dropped onto the pavement ground and that the child has more ketchup and bright yellow mustard spread across a huge part of his otherwise clean white piece of knitted sweater. Gui Gui raced over to his side to try pacifying him.

She did her utmost best, however, despite much effort in flexing her consoling skills, his irrecoverable hot dog was beyond her means to save, on which his protest was stubbornly focused while not relenting at all to her pleadings. With her hands still holding onto the drink and bag of gift, it was even disturbing for Gui Gui to realise that there was no grown-up accompanying the little boy.

He persisted in sobbing pitifully that Gui Gui ended up figuring to take him with her back into the shop to leave behind what she has and afterwards, to find the child's parents for him.

Getting up once more and grabbing his hand, brisk footsteps were heard approaching down the deserted street.

"What happened?" An abrupt interruption miraculously succeeded in catching the boy's attention. He paused in silence at last and so did Gui Gui when she was about to pull the door open.

He hurried towards them after his curious timely inquiry, surprising Gui Gui at an especially unexpected moment.

His concerned expression made her respond with another question, "Do you know this little boy here?"

Glancing up at her again from the boy, his gaze softened quite a bit upon meeting hers. Aaron shook his head right away in answering firmly, "No, I don't...Has he lost his parents by the way?"


	3. Chapter 3: Carelessness

They stood in hesitation by the doorway in attempting to consider what they were to do next to help find the boy's parents as soon as possible.

Aaron was about to ask Gui Gui further when an inadvertent sideglance alerted him to a scurrying cafe customer through the frosty glass door from the inside of the cafe, obviously going to rush out any time soon. Gui Gui, who was still facing him with her back against the exit and her hand clutching tightly onto the child, was totally oblivious to what he saw.

The door's jingle bell chime sounded almost immediately without delay at the simultaneous instant when Aaron pulled Gui Gui aside in haste, stepping in between to cushion the impact which the heavy fling of the door towards them by a grouchy obese man caused as he charged out.

The handle bar was thrust forcefully to his chest and an elbow but the lunge of the hard glass surface hurled at the rest of his body was no less stronger.

"Oh, what happened?" Gui Gui realised, opening her eyes once more after cringing at the sudden incident, instinctively shielding the boy and holding him close towards her.

"Watch where you're going!" The hot-tempered man yelled in return, effortlessly shoving Aaron in his way, before hurrying off into the distance without a second glance at them.

It was only after he was gone that Gui Gui could heaved with relief, yet by her side, she turned to behold in shock that Aaron, still bearing the blow inflicted seconds ago, had his sleeves and a great part of his coat wet with steaming coffee which has apparently been spilled onto them by the man's free cup of drink within his shaky grasp.

"Ohmigosh, are you okay?" She fished out her pocket tissue from her bag in no time and anxiously wiped his clothes and hands dry.

He thought that he was giving her much startlement and concern, "It's...alright...really...Just coffee..."

Gui Gui looked up at him apologetically, "I'm so sorry...I was just so blind to not have noticed him..."

Seeing her so overly troubled, he managed a smile, "Not to worry...It's pretty easy to clean this off, actually."

Gui Gui was thoroughly regretful at her carelessness, wondering how she could make up to the hurt he sustained.

As for the little boy who has been watching them closely all this while, he slowly came forward and tugged at Gui Gui's skirt pleadingly, "Mommy, my clothes on me are dirtier than daddy's...Please wash it too..."

"Huh?" Both Aaron and Gui Gui responded to his mistaken address of them, albeit innocent request, with wide-eyed stares.


	4. Chapter 4: Playing Cupid

Walking out of a mall hand in hand, Gui Gui stooped down and asked the little boy, "Now, you've got a new warm cozy little sweater, sweetie can you tell us what is your name so we can find your mommy?"

He squinted his eyes at her and pouted as Aaron also got down to his eye level to help persuade him.

He simply drew his hands over to his mouth and pressed his palms hard against his lips. Gui Gui knew that they were going to have a hard time and Aaron also quietly exchanged tacit glances with her. The boy creased his eyebrows ever so tightly and he shook his head defiantly.

Just as the two of them began to rack their brains together for an effective way to get him to speak up again, the evening wind rose and rustled. The cover above the mall entrance had its Christmas decorations loosened and a piece of mistletoe snapped and fell off right onto the little boy's head.

"Ouch!" He cried but his agile hand easily caught hold of the white round bulb of mistletoe that was actually made of real marshmallows.

He squealed and popped the candy right into his mouth, startling Gui Gui and Aaron. Chuckling with glee, he confessed to them that it is soft and sweet marshmallows. Though they were both not relieved in any way, he pointed with his pair of short fingers at either side of his cheeks.

"Me want a kiss!" He insisted at the top of his voice.

Gui Gui sighed in exasperation, "Oh my dear, don't you miss mommy and daddy?"

He broke into a bubbly laugh again with an adorably hopeful face.

Aaron turned to Gui Gui and shrugged smilingly, "Now, after we kiss you, please tell big brother and big sister about your mommy and daddy okay? Promise?"

The boy clasped his hands together and grinned rather mischievously before nodding excitedly.

Thus, Aaron and Gui Gui drew near to the little naughty angel and planted loving kisses on his chubby cheeks.

What happened next was the cheerful little guy abruptly stepped back in a flash and strongly pushed the shoulders of the unsuspecting two towards each other so their lips met forcefully. Aaron and Gui Gui opened their eyes wide in utter disbelief.

The clock tower struck twelve midnight and a touching Christmas hymn resounded in the air.


End file.
